


Class of 2002

by ThirtySomething



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: BestFriends!Everlark, College!Everlark, Everlark AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:59:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5058334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirtySomething/pseuds/ThirtySomething
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And just like that, he’s become a staple in this new life. A constant she didn’t know she was missing." Everlark and the roller coaster that is a relationship in college. Takes place between 1998-2002.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Class of 2002

**Author's Note:**

> This is a semi-autobiographical story of me and my husband, but through the eyes of Everlark. I've really enjoyed writing it so far, and hopefully you'll enjoy reading it! I'm going to try to limit it to 6-7 chapters. Cheers!

Katniss sits at the bus stop after the first UP Service Project Club meeting, impatient and sweating in the late summer heat, trying to remember which bus to take back to the dorm.  _Orange_ , she thinks. She’s barely listening to the conversation taking place next to her, between two other girls from the meeting and some blonde guy. A blond guy who looks strangely familiar.

A bus rolls up the street.  _Green_  she reads, and sighs. The two girls get up and wave to her and the guy as they board the bus, and then it’s just the two of them left sitting on the bench. She twirls the end of the braid around her finger, hoping this guy won’t try to start a conversation, when-

“So, are you, like, one of those Seam County girls?”

Katniss huffs. Loudly. “I’m sorry, what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

He throws up his hands and smiles smugly. “Sorry, but you have to know what I’m talking about. You’re from Northern Panem, right? Seam County? You all…you know, only hang out with each other. All the time.”

“I guess,” she mumbles, knowing full well he has a point. She and her friends at home all grew up together and rarely hung out with other people outside their circle. “You know, there’s nothing wrong with that. Hell, half of us are all related somehow.”

“Hey, that’s cool,” he says, nodding. “Family is…well, important.”

“Yes, it is,” she agrees. “Do we know each other? You look familiar.”

“I think we know each other’s cousins. You know Delly Cartwright, yeah?”

She nods. “Right, Delly. And I think you know Thom Miner?”

“Thom, yeah. Cool guy. Crashed one of our school dances once. Tried to start a breakdancing circle.”

“Riiiiight. The ‘smart school’ dance. Yeeeah he didn’t have a lot of good things to say about that one,” she says.

“Well, we  _are_  the high school that has ‘TI-83’ in our team rally chant….wow, that’s really sad, isn’t it?” he snickers.

“Chanting about a calculator at a sporting event…  _yes_ , very sad,” she laughs.

“Hey, you’d be surprised what calculator chants can do to rev up the wrestling team. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason I won any matches!”

They both begin to laugh again, when the roar of the approaching  _Orange_  bus interrupts them. “This your bus, too?”

He stands up and shakes his head. “Nah, I’m in the Flickerman Dorms.”

Strange. Those are in walking distance. “So why did you wait with me?” she asks.

“Big place, kind-of-familiar face. Wanted to make a new friend,” he says, smiling. “I’m Peeta.”

“I’m Katniss,” she calls out, walking towards the bus. She climbs the steps and grabs the front seat, scooting all the way over to the window, surprised to see that Peeta still watching her. He waves, and she waves back. And all she can think about on the ride home is how excited she is to talk to Gale.

~~~

“Where are you, Peeta?” Katniss asks herself as she waits impatiently, constantly looking at her watch. The combination of his tardiness and the strength of the late-September sun is making her cranky, and she still has half a book to read for English Lit tomorrow.

She finally sees him running up the hill with three buckets of paint, sweaty and out of breath, but still wearing the smile she’s grown accustomed to these past few weeks. They’ve never made official plans to hang out, they just seem to keep running into each other. In the library or the dining hall, they’re even in the same astronomy class.

And just like that, he’s become a staple in this new life. A constant she didn’t know she was missing. 

“Hey! I’m sorry I’m late.”

Katniss looks at her watch again, then at him, and scowls. “Seriously Peeta, we only have two hours to paint this fence. Why did I agree to do this with you?”

“Because we both got to the Service Club meeting late and this was the last choice?”

“Oh yeah,” she grumbles. “Fine, let’s just get to work. What took you so long, anyway?”

He hands her one of the buckets and a brush from his back pocket. “Was on the phone with Madge. She’s having trouble adjusting to Capitol U. Just needed a pep talk,” he says, shrugging.

“Well…I  _guess_  that’s okay,” she says, cracking a smile. And feeling a little jealous that he’s so supportive of his girlfriend…

“Katniss?”

She shakes her head. “Sorry, what?”

He furrows his brow at her. “I asked if you wanted to take that side, and we can meet in the middle.”

“Meet in the middle,” she repeats, his words bringing her last conversation with Gale back up to the surface.

_“So, I was talking to some girls who have boyfriends back up at home, and they say they meet in the middle sometimes for lunch or dinner, since it’s less than an hour away.”_

_“Katniss,” he groans, “An hour one way makes two hours, plus time to eat? That’s three hours,_ just _for dinner? You just need to come home more often…”_

“Katniss? Seriously, you okay?”

She shakes her head and looks back at Peeta. “I’m fine, really. Just hot. Let’s paint.”

“Okay,” he says, his eyes still showing concern. “But after, I’ll treat you to some frozen yogurt. I wanna hear how your Envi-Sci paper turned out.”

Her eyes widen in surprise. “You do?”

“You only slaved over it for seven hours,” he says, grinning. “Of course I want to know how it came out.”

Her lips turn up into a smile, and she blushes. “Okay, yeah. And I want to hear how your sculpture is coming along.”

He taps his paintbrush to hers and nods. “Cool.”

~~~

“I’ll call you tomorrow. I’m not sure what time. I understand that, but I have a ton of stuff to do– I know you’re busy, too. Just– Okay. No, I know. Yeah. I love you, too. Bye.”

She sighs as she hangs up the phone, sad and frustrated, and writes down the number of minutes she used on her phone card.  _Ugh_ , she thinks,  _we really have to use instant messaging more_. She’s just about to crack her astronomy book open when there’s a knock on the door. “Yeah, come in.”

“Hey Brainless, we’re going over to the Fort to get some snacks. Wanna come?”

Katniss rolls her eyes at the sound of her new nickname, and taps on her textbook. “Sorry Jo, just about to study here.”

Johanna cackles. “It’s Thursday night! Around here, that’s pretty much Friday night. Come on, live a little.”

Katniss groans and looks at the clock. 10:00pm. She has an 8:00am French class, but the idea of breadsticks and marinara sauce is just too appealing. “Alright, let’s go.”

The walk to the Fort is nice. The stars are out, and the early October air is starting to get chilly, just the way she likes it. Thankfully, she gets along well with the other girls in her dorm suite, so the company is good, too.

“Shit, no more wings,” Jo curses as she looks at the hot food case. Katniss sees the last box of breadsticks and rushes over, when they’re suddenly picked up by someone else. “Dammit, Peeta!”

“You snooze, you lose, Katniss,” he says smugly. “Here, you get the cheese ones, and we’ll share. Deal?”

She scowls, but relents. “Deal.”

They pay for their food and find a few tables, her suitemates and Peeta’s hallmates talking and joking around, despite some having just met tonight.  _It’s nice_ , Katniss thinks to herself. Meeting new people isn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

“Hey, so I’m glad I got to hang out with Gale while he was down here last weekend,” Peeta says, dipping his breadstick into the sauce.

“Yeah, it was fun. He was glad to meet you, too,” she says, thankful that Gale didn’t seem too bothered by her new friendship with Peeta. Of course, it helps that Peeta has a beautiful girlfriend of his own…

“Did he watch  _Blade_  like I told him to?”

“ _Yes_ , and thanks a lot, by the way,” she says begrudgingly. “All he wants to talk about now is that damn movie. Seriously, Peeta, a ‘vampire superhero’? Lame.”

“What the hell, you watch  _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_! Same thing!”

“Uh NO,” she says, pointing her finger at him. “Buffy is a vampire s _layer_.  _She’s_  the superhero.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, shaking his head. “But seriously, I feel bad for your boyfriend. You never let him watch anything fun!”

“I do, too!” she says defensively. “But, I suppose Madge goes with you to watch whatever  _you_  want.”

He shrugs and grins. “What can I say, she lovvvvves me.”

“Whatever,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Quit hogging the sauce.”

~~~

“This is harrrrrd,” she groans, throwing her arm over her face. “Peeta, seriously, how do you do it?”

“It’s astronomy, Katniss, not rocket science.”

She rolls onto her stomach and shoots him a look from the bed, not surprised that he’s making a goofy face at her from his spot on the floor. “I’m talking about me and Gale. Long distance relationships. It’s nearly the end of October, and I thought we’d both be used to it by now, but…it’s harder than I thought it would be.”

The serious tone in her voice causes him to close his book and scoot closer. “Well…did you really think it was going to be easy?”

“I guess not,” she sighs. “I just wish…I wish he had more friends back home. I hate that he waits by the phone for me, and basically schedules his life around when I  _think_  I’ll have time to call him – meanwhile, I’m busy with classes and Service Club, or just happy hanging out with you and the girls. I feel…guilty.”

“Don’t, don’t do that, Katniss,” he says sternly. “Look, it’s admirable that he decided to stay home and help his mom with his siblings, but you shouldn’t feel bad about getting into a great university, on scholarship no less, and experiencing real, college life.”

“I know,” she whispers, closing her eyes. She listens and waits for more of Peeta’s pearls of wisdom, but instead, she feels his fingers on her forehead, brushing the hair from her face. She opens her eyes instantly, and stares at him. “Wh-what are you doing?”

He pulls back his hand and runs it through his own hair, his face turning bright red. “Uh, nothing, sorry. I, uh, better go,” he stammers, stuffing his books into his backpack.

She props herself up on her elbows, still not quite sure what’s going on. “Peeta-”

“I’ll see you later, Katniss,” he calls out, not even looking back as he dashes out of her room.

“See you,” she says quietly. She hears the door to the outside suite slam shut, and touches the spot on her forehead where Peeta brushed her hair away. It’s warm. Her whole face is warm.

_What just happened?_

~~~

They’ve been avoiding each other.

He didn’t show up at the Service Club meeting last week, and she’s been eating in the dining hall or at the Fort at ridiculous, off-peak hours. It’s been two weeks. Two weeks since he brushed the hair from her face. Two weeks since her new friend left and didn’t look back.

It’s okay, though…her eighteen credits are piling on the work, and hanging out with the suite girls has been fun. Plus, there’s Gale…he’s making new friends at the community college, which is good, and they talk every night, or chat online during the day when she can grab a spot in the computer lab. She misses him, she really does.

She just misses Peeta more.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and for your lovely reactions on tumblr. Thank you also to @jennagill for offering to beta and pre-read. xoxo, CC (@lifeisshiny)


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